Winston-Salem saw near record number of good air quality days in 2022, despite Weaver fire

Air quality recovered quickly after the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant fire. That’s according to a review of air pollution data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

The review shows a kind of particulate matter air pollution called PM 2.5 throughout 2022 in Winston-Salem. Minor Barnette, director of Forsyth County’s Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection, said this type of pollution is considered dangerous to human health, and it spiked during the fertilizer plant fire. But: 

“Once they put the fire out, there was no further impact on air quality," said Barnette. 

Barnette said particulate matter pollution quickly returned to normal levels in the days after the fire, and remained low throughout the year. In fact, the review shows Winston-Salem saw a near-record number of good air quality days in 2022. Barnette says regulatory legislation like North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks Act may account for some of that. 

“That resulted in major reductions of nitrogen oxide emissions and sulfur dioxide emissions from our coal-burning power plants.”

Barnette also credits the federal Clean Air Act, and more efficient vehicles for the upward trend.